In one of the offices inside the AN Group, the clock was ticking sonorously amidst the quiet afternoon.
The sound came from the silver mechanical watch that sat casually on the table, where it shone with a
good luster in the light. It looked expensive in every way.
All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door. When Kevin opened it, he saw his jittery assistant.
"Mr. Kevin, your mother just called. She asked you to pay the Luo Family a visit tonight," the assistant
uttered the words with care.
"No." Kevin immediately declined without any hint of hesitation.
His voice, which sounded so firm and annoyed, made the assistant feel more nervous. "But Mr. Kevin,
Mrs. Selma insisted that you go. Otherwise, I would get fired..." the assistant said in a soft voice.
"Do you think I care? That's not my problem," Kevin coldly retorted.
The assistant knew just what kind of person Kevin was. More than hearing about private things, his
boss hated mentioning them at work the most. At this point, he admitted that he committed a big
mistake, thus he was already expecting to receive bad news soon.
"Yes, Mr. Kevin. Understood."
Knowing that he couldn't persuade Kevin, the assistant frowned in distress and prepared to leave.
However, before he could reach for the door, his boss stopped him and said, "Hang on."
"Yes, Mr. Kevin? Anything else?"
"Do you know where Anne is right now?" Kevin asked indifferently.
However, the moment he uttered her name, he suddenly felt his heart soften.
"She's staying with the Luo Family at the moment. It seems that they have recognized her, but she has
only been there for about three days."
As though he had heard something unexpected, Kevin stopped writing. There was a flash of worry in
his deep eyes above his tall nose.
He didn't know whether she was uncomfortable or if anyone bullied her at that place. It vexed him to
think about her when she had gone overboard, yet he still couldn't help but care.
After a fierce struggle in his heart, Kevin still found himself unable to defeat his concern for Anne. Then,
with a flat tone, he instructed his assistant, "Prepare the car. I'm going to the Luo Family's manor."
"Yes, Mr. Kevin. Right away."
The sunset painted a beautiful scenery outside. The clouds were shining in the sky, enveloping the
classic European-style mansion of the Luo Family. It looked absolutely captivating.
As Kevin's car arrived at the gate of the manor, the servant opened the door to see who it was.
However, the moment she saw Kevin, she felt terribly flustered that she hurriedly called Valentina.
Unfortunately, Valentina wasn't home. She went and accompanied Rose to see the engagement
jewelry, so Liam was the only one left in the house.
Although he was used to the occasions, Liam was still shocked the second he saw Kevin's imposing
manner.
"Mr. Liam, it seems I've come at an inopportune moment." Kevin reckoned with a striking smile.
"Indeed. You can sit down and have some rest first. I'm sure that Rose will be ecstatic to see you once
they return," Liam said with a trace of worry in his voice.
Considering the status of the young man in front of him, Liam felt embarrassed to just let Kevin go
home. Be that as it might, Rose might still be gone for a while and would probably come back at a later
time.
"That's all right." Kevin was very easygoing today, which made Liam feel a little strange. After all, it was
not that often that he saw the young man this way.
They waited for a while, but instead of seeing Rose, Anne was the one who arrived first at the mansion.
She came back to pack up her stuff. However, the moment she saw Kevin, she immediately looked
down towards the ground, not expecting this surprise visit.
Noticing this, Kevin stood by the door. Anne tried to move aside, but he deliberately stood in front of her
to block her way.
"Excuse me, please." With the way Kevin was messing with her, Anne couldn't help but talk to him
dispassionately.
When Liam saw them from the living room, he anxiously called for his daughter, "Anne, come here and
tell Lucy what you want to eat."
Right then, she pushed Kevin away and swiftly entered the room.
She passed by them and pulled a long face as she responded, "There's no need for that. I just came
here to pack my things up and leave right away."
Anne made sure she voiced it out as plain and direct as she could. Besides, she didn't have any strong
attachment to anyone in the Luo Family. It was enough for her that they recognized and acknowledged
her as a part of their family.
On the other hand, this was not the case for Liam. He thought that the reason why Anne was in a bad
mood was due to Kevin's unexpected presence.
The thing that worried him the most was that she would run into Kevin. Now that the unfortunate
incident finally happened, he felt rather uneasy.
"Are you really leaving, Anne? Did I do something wrong?" There was an obvious hint of guilt in his
voice as he spoke to his daughter.
Although Anne heard Liam clearly, she pretended as though she didn't hear him. It was true that seeing
her ex-husband upset her, but it wasn't the only reason why she decided to leave. She already had a
home of her own, hence she didn't need to endure living in a suffocating place.
As much as possible, she wanted to stay away from the Luo Family, the Ye Family, and especially the
Fu Family.
"No, you didn't. It's my own decision. Take care of yourself." Knowing that her father was just deeply
concerned about her, she didn't dare to speak to him in a cold tone, like what she did when she first
came here.
"But tomorrow's Saturday. It means that you don't have to go to work. Can't you postpone your
departure until tomorrow morning so that you can rest properly first? I'll ask someone to drive you
home if you want," Liam insisted with a caring voice.
Sensing his father's sincerity, Anne was unable to refuse his offer.
During this time, she couldn't even go to her bedroom because she had to talk with Liam. At the same
time, Kevin just sat opposite her. He didn't say anything, but he kept staring at her with a meaningful
smile on his face.
Anne felt extremely apprehensive. Whenever she saw Kevin's smile, it was as if her heart was being
pierced by sharp needles.
Then, all of a sudden, Liam's phone rang.
He went to answer the phone, looking quite happy. However, as he finished the call, there was a visible
frown on his face, especially after seeing the uncomfortable situation between Anne and Kevin.
"Anne, I need to go out for a while. The contract with TC Group is finally settled down, so I have to
prepare for it right away."
Hearing this, she instantly felt it strange. They could discuss the contract at any other time, but why did
it have to be now? Although it came as a surprise, she thought that it was kind of a great coincidence
that Kevin also happened to be here when Liam got the news.
"Kevin, I'm sorry that this has to happen right now. If you're busy, I can drive you back. It's such a
shame that you didn't get to meet Rose this time," Liam said politely.
Kevin wasn't just an important figure because he was going to be Liam's future son-in-law. Underneath
it all, Liam needed the young man to keep his business running smoothly and in check. That was why
he had to keep a harmonious relationship with Kevin.
"Well, it's fine. It can't be helped that she's not here. I think I'll also be leaving soon enough. It's good
seeing you, uncle. Goodbye." Kevin looked rather happy and just had a subtle attitude towards him.
At the same time, Liam couldn't help but notice the displeased look on Anne's face. He frowned upon
thinking that there must have been something running in her mind. In the end, however, he had no
choice but to go. If he didn't quickly arrange this cooperation plan, he knew that it would immediately
affect L Group's one year worth of profit, and he wasn't willing to risk it.
As much as he worried about his daughter, he finally got into his car. On the other hand, Kevin seemed
to be in a good mood with Liam's sudden departure, completely ignoring Anne's icy glare.
With her father finally leaving, Anne was left in an awkward situation with her ex-husband. She glanced
at Kevin's tall figure before she hurriedly went back inside the house. Her heart was actually throbbing
hard, but she concealed her panic quite well.
She then went straight to her room and pulled out the suitcase that she was going to bring with her
when she moved out. However, as she was on her way out, she bumped into Kevin as if he was
waiting for her on purpose.
"Where are you going? Let's have dinner together," Kevin insisted, wearing a faint smile on his face.
It turned out that Kevin indeed manipulated the situation to get Liam out of the picture, just so he could
spend some time alone with Anne.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Mr. Kevin. Did you forget that you have a fiancee? Please behave
accordingly," Anne said dismissively.
Despite her rebuff, Kevin didn't have the slightest intention of backing down. After all, he always got
what he wanted. Thus, he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her until they reached the dining table.
"See? Dinner is already prepared. Uncle Liam is out, so you're supposed to take care of the guest."
As Kevin let go of her hand, he saw Anne's flustered face clearly that it made him want to kiss her.
Seeing that Anne was about to lose her temper, he did his best to control himself instead.
Despite the enticing aroma of the food served on the table, Anne seemed to have no appetite at all.
She sat on the chair but all she could think about was how to get out of this situation. However, she
also thought that if she ran away, it would just prove that she had a hidden reason as to why she
couldn't even spend a moment with Kevin.
So, she swallowed all her emotions and forced herself to eat, while displaying nonchalance. She didn't
want to give Kevin the satisfaction of seeing her befuddled due to his tasteless gimmick.
On the contrary, Kevin enjoyed looking at Anne from time to time. He wore a faint smile on his face
throughout the dinner, delighting in his time with his ex-wife.
"Please excuse me, Mr. Kevin. Enjoy yourself," Anne blurted out as soon as she was done eating. She
then quickly stood up and attempted to leave the dining table.
"Sit down and wait until I'm finished. I'm a guest. Remember?" Kevin said in a soft voice.
"You are the guest of the Luo's. I don't remember inviting you here ever," Anne replied flatly as she
refused to stay with him.
Hearing this, Kevin suddenly stood up. His lips were still stained with white fungus and lotus seed
porridge, making them look very ruddy.
Before he could wipe off the juice from his lips, he grabbed Anne by the arm, leaned close to her ears,
and whispered something in an attractive and tempting voice. "Maybe, but I'm here for you."
Although he was still angry with Anne, he couldn't help but think about this stubborn woman. After
everything that had happened, he still missed her from the bottom of his heart.
Anne remembered this familiar voice—soft and gentle—that for a brief moment, she felt a little sad.
Regardless, she had no time to play with his games.
With that in mind, she tried to remove his hand and said, "I don't care. I'm busy."
When Anne dared to take her leave again, Kevin suddenly pulled her towards him, grabbed her waist,
and kissed her violently. He had enough of her attitude, so he vented out his anger and exerted more
strength in his caress.
She felt the pain on her lips and tried to fight back. She aimed to hit Kevin with her arm, but it was
immediately caught by the young man in the air.
Knowing that she had no chance to win, Anne finally stopped struggling. Noticing this, Kevin began to
loosen his grip and slightly pulled away from her.
"Anne, we need to talk." Kevin gradually lowered his head and stared directly into Anne's calm eyes.
"What is it?" She also wanted to hear it from his own mouth. She wondered why he still wanted to keep
in touch with her when he already had a fiancee.
Before he started talking, Kevin glanced at his watch and realized that Rose and Valentina must
already be on their way back. Therefore, he deemed that it wasn't really the best time to talk about it.
"I'm afraid we don't have enough time for this conversation. Do you really plan on leaving tonight? We
can talk while I drive you back to your place," Kevin suggested promptly.
Just when Anne was about to agree, the front door suddenly opened. Apparently, Rose and Valentina
had already returned.
As the two of them cheerfully talked about the stuff that they had chosen in the store, Rose displayed a
bright smile as though she was the happiest woman at that very moment. However, everything instantly
went downhill the moment she saw Kevin and Anne together inside the house.
"Kevin? Why are you here?" Rose asked as her face got painted with a nervous smile. She was totally
surprised to see him.
After all, when she invited Kevin before, he turned her down and told her he was busy. Seeing him now
standing here in front of her when she wasn't even informed that he would come, she felt something
was off.
She then looked around and noticed that her father wasn't around either, but there was food on their
dining table. This scene quickly brought a suspicious flash in her eyes.
"Anne, was it you who called Kevin here?" It was obvious from her tone that she was putting Anne
under baseless accusations.
Hearing this, Kevin immediately told the truth. "No. I came here to visit uncle and aunt. He was here
earlier, but he had to deal with something urgent. I was actually about to leave after dinner."
Rose's furrowed brows gradually straightened out after Kevin explained what happened earlier.
However, after being treated like a shameless opportunist, Anne got put in a bad mood. "I guess your
question is answered clearly. Can I excuse myself now?" Anne uttered with a straight face. Even
though she was extremely pissed off, she didn't want to make a scene, so she tried to control her
emotions.
For a brief moment, no one spoke. Taking it as their consent, Anne hurriedly went back to her room and
lay on her bed.
"Why didn't you call me? I could have gone back sooner if I knew that you're coming," Rose queried in
a disappointed tone.
She felt terrible missing a chance to be with Kevin. After all, it had been a while since she last saw him.
"Well, have you chosen something you like?" Kevin wanted to dodge the question as much as possible,
so he quickly found a way to change the topic.
"Oh, yes. Of course. Let me get it so I can show you." Fortunately for Kevin, Rose was easily
distracted. She took the jewelry from her handbag and felt ecstatic enough to show it to
him.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda